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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  February 18, 2013 6:00am-8:00am PST

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call and get adt installed for just $99 and ask about adt pulse, advanced home management here today. adt. always there. it's time for "end point." why don't you start for us, congresswoman? >> i'm so excited for danica patrick. it's going to be a great day. i'm not a huge nascar fan, but i will be now. >> i'm excited to watch it with my daughters. it's a great message for them. >> she's 5'2", and she's a dynamite, incredibly strong m y woman. it's a great story. >> and she looked great doing
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it. she did. she's beautiful. >> when have you ever said that about any guy at nascar ever? come on. >> other than what i've learned about coyote urine this morning. >> granulated. >> i would say that we're discussing immigration. that ad on gun control, what a difference a re-election makes. these are issues we have not talked about for years, and now they're front and center in our national debate. >> big thing is front and center, but what happens down the road? looking a year or two years out, do we actually resolve something? >> when you're out of the discussion, you know what's going to happen, nothing. now that they're in discussion, at least you have the possibility of something that will. >> i buy that. >> we're going to see you back here tomorrow for "starting point." "cnn newsroom" with carol costello begins now. happening now, breaking overnight, investigators releasing new details about what happened that valentine's day at oscar pistorius' house. his family this morning breaking their silence. >> we have no doubt here there's
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no substance for the allegations. plus -- ♪ >> shock in the music world. country star mindy mccready committing suicide. tragedy striking her family twice in just weeks. >> she had children with a boyfriend who ended up killing himself a few weeks ago. also, pain at the pump. gas up, way up. find out what's behind the rise. plus not the boys club anymore. danica patrick, the superstar on the speedway breaking records. >> you can do anything you want to do, and gender doesn't matter. >> can abouting tbecoming the f nascar history to capture the pole position. >> i love that to go beyond racing in general, just to kind of break gender barriers. >> "newsroom" starts now.
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good morning. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. family, friends, and fans are mourning the death of country music star mindy mccready today. the 37-year-old singer was found dead on the front porch of her arkansas home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. mccready's music made her famous, but in recent years, she became more known for her struggle with addiction, mental illness, and run-ins with the law. if you're not familiar with mccready's music, here's her number one hit from 1996. ♪ ♪ guys do it all the time >> mccready appeared on the "today" show last month after her boyfriend died of an apparent suicide. >> just starting screaming, calling 911. i laid down next to him. i just pleaded with him not to
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die. >> nischelle turner is in los angeles. sadly, people expected this kind of thing to happen. >> carol, she did lead a troubled life. she had made suicide attempts in the past. mindy mccready's roller coaster life may have included stardom. it also included trips to rehab, arrest, and domestic abuse before ultimately ending on that same front porch where her boyfriend died. since his death, she had been seeking some help, according to hln's dr. drew, who she met while appearing on "celebrity rehab." she actually checked herself into a psychiatric facility for a short time after his death. what may be the saddest part of this whole tragedy, she leaves behind two kids who are now without their mother, two sons, 6 years old and 10 months old, carol. >> god, no. oh, my god, no. he was my life.
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we were each other's life. >> do you 100% believe that david killed himself? >> i don't know. >> do you think he could have been murdered? >> i don't know. >> you have been through so much pain and heart ache in your life, and honestly, your life almost plays like a country music song. >> i just keep telling myself that the more suffering that i go through, that the greater character i'll have. >> now, that was an interview that she did on nbc about a month ago. there she was answering questions about his death. the sheriff's department has never named mindy a suspect in this. they do say they are continuing
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the investigation into his death, carol. >> nischelle turner reporting live from los angeles this morning. new details in the death of oscar pistorius's girlfriend. a south african official telling cnn reeva steenkamp was shot four times through the bathroom door and that pistorius carried steenkamp downstairs while she was still alive. these questions emerge as a reality tv show with steenkamp emerged. >> reporter: just days after being shot and killed at the home of her boyfriend, olympian oscar pistorius, reeva steenkamp appeared on south african television. >> you fall in love with being in love. >> reporter: this is how her beach adventure reality show began on saturday. while veeva's television debut aired, her boyfriend, double amputee and olympic athlete oscar pistorius, spent the weekend in this jail. prosecutors plan to charge pistorius with her murder, a charge strongly rejected by pistorius and his family.
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this is his uncle flanked by his sister, who struggles to keep herself together as they make a brief statement to the media. >> as you can imagine, our entire family is devastated. we are in a state of total shock. they had plans together, and oscar was happy in his private life than i've seen him in a long time. >> reporter: investigators who have been combing through his house in this high security complex are starting to piece together what they think happened early on valentine's day. cnn has been told and local media is reporting that police believe pistorius shot steenkamp four times through a closed bathroom door and then carried her downstairs, where she died. neighbors told police they heard shouting before the shooting, but there's still no solid explanation as to why he might have shot her. pistorius appears in court on tuesday for his bail hearing. he hasn't entered a plea yet. while pistorius is in court, reeva's family say there will be a memorial service for her on
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tuesday. still south africans will be able to watch her beach adventures on the reality show which airs for another nine weeks. producers released this final message from her, meant to be to the cast, but which now becomes her last words, her last good-bye. >> i take home with me so many amazing memories and things that are in here that i'll treasure forever. i'm going to miss you all so much. i love you very, very much. >> so eerie. robin curnow joins us now. we hear pistorius may have feared someone breaking into the house and that's what happened. were there signs that reeva had planned to stay for the night? >> reporter: just to go back to that, i've heard that last message from her over and over again in the last 24 hours, and it still gives me the chills. it's just so sad, isn't it? but in terms of what she was
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planning to do that night, it seems, according to an official close to the investigation, that she was going to be at her boyfriend's house spending the night. they've apparently foupd her overnight bag as well as her ipad in the room. so that in a way does sort of change that initial speculation that oscar had been surprised. perhaps she had snuck in for a valentine's surprise, and that's why he had shot her. it was a terrible mistake. she still don't know what the details are, what the context is. why shoot somebody through a closed bathroom door? still no real understanding of the motive behind that. i think it's this confusion and the sense of unanswered questions that have not just the families concerned but also many south africans. oscar was such a hero here. many people still grappling to come to terms with that very simple question. why? >> robyn curnow reporting live from south africa. an idaho man out of a job
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this morning after being accused of slapping a crying toddler and using a racial slur while aboard a delta flight. joe ricky hundley charged with assaulting a minor after the february 8th flight. on sunday, the idaho aerospace defense company where he worked says he is no longer employed. >> reporter: jonah bennett is 19 months old, and a curious, ordinary toddler. but what allegedly happened on a february 8th flight from minneapolis was far from ordinary. jessica bennett says she and her president doed son were on delta flight 721 to atlanta in seat 28b. next to them in seat 28a was this man, joe ricky hundley of hayden, idaho. >> he was just being rude and belligerent, and i felt very uncomfortable. >> reporter: she says she even left her seat and stood in the back of the plane holding jonah for much of the flight. but she had to sit back down for
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landing in atlanta. because of the altitude change, jonah was uncomfortable and crying. then it got ugly. >> i was having trouble comforting him, and that's when the guy had made his comment to me. >> reporter: court documents say hundley allegedly told jessica to, quote, shut that "n" word baby up. >> i could not believe that he would say something like that. so a baby or about a baby. >> reporter: then hundley allegedly slapped jonah, hitting him in the eye. >> and then to hit him was just -- i felt like i was in another world. i was shaking. >> reporter: according to the criminal complaint, fellow passengers came to her aid. cnn reached out to hundley, who has been charged with assaulting a minor. he declined to comment and asked us to talk to his attorney. hundley's attorney urged the public not to rush to judgment and referred us to comments she made to the "minneapolis star-tribune," where she said
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her client will plead not guilty and hopefully this situation can be resolved. delta says it's cooperating with investigators and that the plane landed safely. all right. well, hundley's employer has now weighed in. they fired him yesterday and said through a statement, "reports of hundley's behavior while on personal travel was offensive and disturbing." he worked at agc aerospace and defense. the company supplies technology and other services to the military and to businesses. carol? >> renee marsh reporting live from washington this morning. police in the chicago area are questioning two people in the murder of jenae mcfarland. the 18-year-old was killed on friday just hours after her sister sat behind president obama during his speech about gun control. mcfarland was walking with friends in a chicago suburb shortly before midnight when she was shot. >> all this gun violence going on out here, you never think it
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will be your child. this is the hardest thing for me in my life. >> i felt like somebody took a knife and stabbed me in the heart and took a piece of my heart that i will never, ever in my life get back. >> so far, no charges have been filed. new details this morning on the pope's declining health. pope benedict xvi may be blind in his left eye. that's according to a german journalist who's interviewed the pope several times, most recently in december. he tells the newspaper that the pope's hearing has also faded. and he said that the pope was so thin, tailors struggle to keep him in his clothes. the pope cited his poor health in the decision to leave the papacy on february 28. you might see even higher prices at the gas pumps this morning. just a day after environmentalists marched to the white house, urging president obama to take more action on climate change. and to do that, he must kill the extension of the keystone pipeline. >> keystone xl is a dirty and dangerous pipeline.
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it's literally going to cut our country in half carrying a very dangerous fuel, and it will cause runaway climate change. >> alison kosik at the new york stock exchange -- you're in new york, not at the stock exchange. i recognize the difference in the background. >> good for you. >> let's talk about gas prices. it's kind of a miystery why the keep on rising. >> if you've gone to the gas station the last couple of days, you know that prices are higher and they're expected to go even higher and peak in the early spring. the good news is analysts we talked to as well as aaa, they say don't expect the price of a gallon of regular to top the peak of $3.94 a gallon. that's good news. it is kind of like we've been here before because these higher gas prices are typical this time of year. the refineries are switching to that cleaner summer fuel, and it stretches supply. but demand is expected to increase not just here in the
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u.s., but globally because of a better outlook for the global economy. the price of oil has been modestly higher since the beginning of the year. you don't need me to tell you that. the good news is it has been relatively stable since the summer, carol. you haven't seen the real crazy spikes that we've seen over the years. carol? >> alison kosik reporting live from new york this morning. move over, guys. danica patrick in the top spot. patrick won the pole position for the daytona 500, becoming the first woman to win a pole at any nascar top division race. she later spoke with cnn's don lemon, who asked her, if she could comprehend that she made history. >> i that i that understanding the scope of what that means and what that will end up meaning, or if any, is something that happens down the road. in the moment, it's about thinking about what i need to do for next sunday and trying to make some more history. i love that to go beyond racing in general, i mean, just to kind
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of break gender barriers, i feel that one of the coolest things is to be able to think that parents and their kids are having that conversation at home about it. and to -- i've heard stories about a kid, boy or girl, saying, but, mommy, daddy, that's a girl that's out there racing, and then they can have that conversation to say, you can do anything you want to do, and gender doesn't matter. your passion is what matters. that's cool. >> that is cool. janet guthrie was actually the first woman to compete in the indianapolis 500 and the daytona 500. she joins us now on the phone from aspen, colorado. welcome. >> well, good morning. >> magood morning. danica broke your previous record for qualifying by a female driver. your feelings this morning. >> she is to be congratulated, of course. it was a very smooth run. certainly something that will keep her name in the history books for a very long time. >> something that was kind of
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intriguing to me, jeff gordon -- and, of course, danica patrick beat him while she raced for the pole position. jeff gordon congratulated patrick. he was posing with two kids. one of them was his daughtere l ella, who is 5 years old. he pushed ella to be in a photo with danica patrick because ella never realized she could be a race car even though her father is a race car driver. >> i think that's one thing that danica has done with her prominence in the media is call more attention to that fact, and certainly this accomplishment will make that even greater. but looking back 30 -- what is it? 36 years ago now, when i became the first woman at indianapolis and also at daytona, it was something like this. it was the pictures were on the
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front pages of the newspapers, not the front pages of the sports section, and it was widely regarded at that time as marking a significant progress for women, not just in sport but in other venues. i used to get a lot of letters along those lines. >> now she's just got to win the race, huh? >> that would be superb. >> that would be superb. janet guthrie, thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. sexual harassment, racism, and fraud -- serious problems uncovered by "usa today" on a controversial military program meant to help troops interact with locals and war zones.
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20 minutes past the hour. time to check the top stories. president obama still in florida after teeing off with tiger woods. president enjoying some r and r at a resort in palm city. others include trade representative john kirk and jam crane, a major democratic donor.
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mr. obama due back in washington tonight. not only will facebook probably not pay a penny in federal and state taxes for all of 2012, the social media giant expects a federal tax refund of -- are you ready? $430 million. wow. here's why. facebook reported about $1 paraleg $1 billion in pretax dollars last year but gets to rely on stock options it awards to executives. it's perfectly legal. an air force bomber jacket worn by jfk is a top seller of kennedy family memorabilia. the leather jacket has the presidential patch on it. it fetched $629,000. other items included a birthday card from john john to his dad and a marked up itinerary for the slain president's 1963 trip to dallas. relatives found the items at the ho
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home of one of jfk's special assistants. a new report by "usa today" is uncovering serious problems with a multimillion dollar army program. the program calls itself the human terrain system. it's designed to help american troops better understand and interact with people in countries where they're stationed, to win the hearts and minds. however, "usa today" reports major problems with the program, including payroll fraud, sexual harassment, racism, unaccountable contractors, and inadequate government oversight. despite all of this, though, the army wants the program to continue. tom vandenbrook is "usa today's" pentagon reporter. he wrote the article. welcome. >> good morning, carol. >> thanks so much for enlightening us on this issue. this program sends americans to iraq and afghanistan to win hearts and minds. tell us about sexual harassment, racism. outline these problems for us. >> these come in an army investigative report that we
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were -- we obtained through a freedom of information act request. the harassment seemed pretty gross. it was a contractor at the training base making really untoward comments toward the women. eventually, he was fired. that was documented. as well as racism. there was a white soldier who was referring to a section of the program and saying it was a ghetto because it had black people in it. that soldier was disciplined. >> yet some of the members of this group, with all the problems, were making more money than the secretary of defense? >> that's the most disturbing problem. it regards time sheet padding, and it was encouraged, apparently, according to the documents we found. these people were saying they routinely worked 84-hour weeks, billing for every hour of the day essentially except for those that they were sleeping. and this was a systematic problem, and people were making
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$280,000 a year and as well getting six months of comp time so that, when they came home, they didn't have to work either. >> how large was this program? how many people were employed? >> well, it's been hundreds over the years. it started during the hostilities in iraq, and right now there are about 70 folks involved in it in 20 teams. >> and you say the army wants to carry on despite these allegations of sexual harassment and racism and the program not exactly working and people getting overpaid? >> right. the army says that many of these problems have been addressed, that they've, for instance, fired the contractor who was charged with sexual harassment, disciplined the soldier, and they've advised supervisors on how to fill out time sheets properly. they also say that commanders want this sort of capability, and you could see why they would, if it helps them avoid antagonizing locals and helping them win hearts and minds and
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that sort of thing. but as well, within this report we found -- many commanders found reports to be worthless. some even found them counterproductive. one telling the investigator that these human terrain teams actually frightened the iraqis with whom he was working. >> it just defies belief. so you say the army, even though it has those kinds of problems with the program, also -- i just don't understand why the pentagon would want to like -- >> right. i think the concept, if you can probably agree, makes sense. if you can figure out a way to not antagonize locals, help them out with health care, veterinary care, teach them to grow crops, it would be fine. i think it's the execution of the program that's been the problem. the army maintains the problems have been fixed, but a lot of folks i talk to, including those involved in the program,
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maintain that's not the case. >> and your article in usa today and also online. >> that's right. >> tom vanden brook from "usa today," thanks so much. >> thanks, carol. president obama teed off with tiger woods this weekend, but you won't see any pictures of that. should we have the right, though, to see obama play golf with tiger woods? [ male announcer ] citibank's app for ipad
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now's your chance to talk back about the stories of the day. should we have the right to see the president play golf with tiger woods? the drudge report labeled it the super secret spring break. secret because we couldn't take photos of president obama playing golf with tiger woods. yes, that tiger woods, champion golfer and former serial adulterer. in fact, reporters were not allowed near the president all weekend long. this is massive budget cuts kick in in just two weeks. and the president out of sight, not taking questions. ed henry, president of the white house correspondents association, says they're frustrated. "there's a very simple and important principle we'll
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continue to fight for today and in the days ahead. that would be transparency. what's the big deal? we had no problem getting photos of president obama playing golf with the ever popular bill clinton or with white house speaker john boehner, back when they were talking grand bargain to avoid the fiscal cliff. remember that? is there a problem seeing america's number one family man alongside tiger? or is the president entitled to some much deserved down time with some friends? you know, in private. talk back question today, should we have the right to see the president play golf with tiger woods? facebook.com/carolcnn. or tweet me @carolcnn. stories we're watching in the newsroom as well, country music star mindy mccready has died. the 37-year-old was found at her arkansas home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. mccready rose to fame in the mid-90s. more recently she struggled with addiction and mental illness.
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mccready had been in a custody battle over her 6-year-old boy. just last month, the father of her infant son was found dead of an apparent suicide. maker's mark is saying uncle. the kentucky bourbon maker will no longer water down its whiskey to stretch supplies. the company announced it was diluting its famous spirit to deal with a spike in demand. though officials say the extra water did not affect the taste, customers waged an online revolt. starting today, every red wax bottle is back to 90 proof. you're looking at new pictures of a frozen lake that was gouged by pieces of the meteor that exploded friday over russia. scientists say they just confirmed 53 small stony black objects found around the lakes are indeed meteorites. the fragments are less than a half inch long, but experts think a larger immediate yorite made a 26-foot wide crater in the ice. ♪
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political buzz is your rapid fire look at the best political topics. 30 seconds on the clock. playing with us today, l.z. gran der son, a cnn contributor and senior writer for espn, and will cain, also a senior contributor and analyst for the blaze. welcome to you both, gentlemen. >> good morning, carol. >> good morning. hey, obama, we don't want no climate drama. that was the big chant in washington this weekend, as thousands and thousands urge the president to take action on climate change. for his part, obama did urging of his own, telling congress to move on the issue during the state of the union. >> we can choose to believe that super storm sandy and the most severe drought in decades and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence, or we can choose believe in the overwhelming judgment of science and act before it's too late.
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>> but with sequestration looming and high unemployment, our question, is now the time for climate change legislation? l.z.? >> yes and no. i think we're going to have a difficult time using that exact language, but i think we can pass things like an admissions tax to talk about using that money to help repair roads. so we're addressing the climate issue without using that language that seems to make people bristle for some reason. >> will? >> no. look, here's the deal. climate change regulation is designed to increase the price of carbon, which means pricing out essentially poor families, poor children from lighting their homes, from heating their homes, from getting access to electricity. it's not going to price out you and me. that's the purpose of it, right? set against the background of, what, we just saw a draft memo a couple of weeks ago the international panel on climate change and prediction in temperatur increases were wildly overstated. as they have been the last 20 years.
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now is not the time for climate change. get your research in order, make your case. >> speaking of sequestration, ten days and counting until the massive spending cuts go into effect. one thing on the chopping block, cuts to federal pay. that includes congress and their paychecks. well, that doesn't sit well with minority leader nancy pelosi. >> it's a hard question to ask me because most of my colleagues are the bread winners in their families. a pay cut to me doesn't mean as much. i don't think we should do it. i think we should respect the work we do. >> pelosi said pay cuts would hurt the dignity of the politicians' jobs. question, should congress' paychecks be exempt from budget cuts? will? >> was that a dramatic pause you inserted there? >> i almost couldn't say it. >> i don't mind burning some of my 30 seconds on that. here's the deal. you can't hurt congress' dignity
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any lower than it already is. i think the public polling is equivalent to cockroaches. i want to be contrarian on this so bad and defend her somehow. let's not reduce their pay. let's reduce their work hours. how about that to keep dignity? they can go like the state of texas and become a part-time legislature. i would fully endorse that. they can do less damage the less they're in congress. >> l.z.? >> i don't feel the need to defend her or be a contrarian or anything. she's wrong. if you look at the constitution, this job she's been holding and her colleagues, as she said, have been holding was not designed for you to be a career politician, was not designed for you to live an upper middle class life for the rest of your life. it was designed for you to go to d.c., do the work in your community, and return to your community. so this notion that a pay cut is beneath us, no, what you've already done to the congress is beneath what the original intent was. >> part-time job. >> final question.
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washington going on a bit of a break this week. yes, congress is on recess. while president obama plays golf in florida with tiger woods. but you'll just have to take the white house's word for it because there are not any pictures. president says, his white house is the most transparent administration in history, but in this case, maybe not because he allowed no photos. so the question, should we have the right to see president obama play golf with tiger woods, l.z.? >> okay, let me get this straight. two weeks ago, we don't see any photos of president obama skeet shooting. they release a photo, all of a sudden, why did he release this photo? it's terrible. now he doesn't release any photos playing with tiger, why didn't he release photos? it's terrible. we sound very schizophrenic. no, we don't need to see him playing golf with tiger woods. >> will? >> no, i agree. this is a trivial issue. we don't need to see him playing golf with tiger woods. but it does become symbolic, right? the idea that this is the most transparent administration is
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gone. it's over. it's absurd. and it's not because of pictures with tiger, it's because of issues like the drone program and the legal memoranda setting up when americans can shoot drones at americans. that is what busts the bubble on transparency, not tiger woods. >> thank you for playing today. cnn contributors will cain and l.z. granderson. hugh jackman goes from being an academy award host to a nominee, and he's offering advice for this year's host, seth mcfarlane. >> must be really funny and gracious and extraordinary and an entertainer for three hours in front of a live audience to 1 billion people. that's it. >> you'll hear what else he has to say about the big night. if there was a pill to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients.
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hugh jackman is a triple threat in hollywood, he can
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sing, dance, and act. and he's also a lead oscar contender for his role in "les mis." ♪ who am i can i condemn this man to slavery ♪ ♪ pretend i do not feel his agony ♪ ♪ this innocent who bears my face who goes to judgment in my place ♪ ♪ who am i >> who am i, nischelle turner? >> you would be carol costello. >> thank you. that's such a relief. >> it's like rescue you from that dramatic moment in the movie. you know, carol, most actors dream of ending up on stage at the oscars. hugh jackman is no different. it's just the manner in which he first wanted to grace the stage. that's just completely out of left field. take a look. so, obviously, you're a great actor or you wouldn't be here. i have to say, i buy into this whole thing because it feels
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like to me like you're having the time of your life. >> the thing for me is -- let me give you a little context for me. i'm from sydney. i'm from the northern suburb of sydney, 45-minute drive north of the city. my father worked for price waterhouse, the accountancy firm, his entire life. you know when the accountants used to come on with their briefcases, that little ten seconds of tv, we would go crazy. and i remember my dad saying, i had a meeting with that guy once, and i just thought my dad was it. for me, this is something beyond the realms of imagination. a bit the same as when i hosted it. i'm like, i'm a kid from sydney. i'm not going to finish this by complaining or saying i'm tired or busy or nervous. i'm just going to enjoy it. >> your daughter is a bit of a ham. your son kind of shines. reready for the next generation to do this business? does it seem like she's headed down the path? >> i totally can see her getting
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in. the only thing deb and i, we're wary of getting in. i had this normal childhood and none of this until i was 30, which is a good thing. >> i know you have to go, but quickly, do you have any advice for seth mcfarlane hosting? >> just be funny and gracious and extraordinary and an entertainer for three hours in front of a live audience to 1 billion people. that's it. look, steve martin said to me, the first 35 minutes, best audience you'll have in your life because the whole room is nervous, way more nervous than you. from 45 minutes on to the next four hour mark, that room is way more filled with winners than losers, so just hurry up. get that train moving to the end. that was it. >> he really is having a good time. i thought he was a great oscar host as well. carol, he joked that he wanted to give that oscar statue that he was standing next to for the class photo bunny ears during
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the picture. also during a time when i was talking to jackie weaver, who's nominated for best supporting actress for "silver linings playbook," and who grew up down the street from hugh jack man in australia, he video bombed us. i would say that guy is having a good time right now. >> nischelle turner, thanks so much. a college coach shows how it's done. he hits a half-court shot. we'll tell you why this basket made a huge difference for one student. [ lane ] are you growing old
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time to check the top stories. new details on the murder involving the double amputee track star known as blade runner. police tell cnn oscar pistorius' girlfriend was shot four times through a bathroom door at the home. pistorius then carried reeva steenkamp downstairs. she was still alive. pistorius has been charged with premeditated murder. he's now in jail. he has a bail hearing tomorrow. hugo chavez is back in retu this morning via twitter. he still has a tube down his throat and struggles to speak. the man convicted of killing john lennon wrote four letters to the officer who arrested him,
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and they could be yours for $75,000. in the letters mark david chapman presses steven spiro to read "the catcher and the rye" to better understood his motive for killing lennon. should we have the right to see the president play golf with tiger woods? your responses are next. check out my new treadmill app. pretty sweet, huh? cute. but don't you have any apps on your phone that can make your life easier? who do you think i am, quicken loans?
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danica patrick will race in the top spot in sunday at the daytona 500 after winning the poll. she's the first woman to do that. but will it actually improve her chances of winning the race? joe carter is here with this morning's bleacher report. >> good morning, carol. winning the poll for danica means she will start in the front row on sunday, and that of course gives her a great advantage, but doesn't necessarily guarantee her a win. the statistics say the last time a driver won both the poll and the daytona 500 it was 13 years ago. this is a historic moment for danica and nascar. jeff gordon saw what kind of buzz she created. that's gordon's daughter posing with danica on cnn. she addressed what really making nascar history may mean to a lot of her young fans out there. >> one of the coolest things is to be able to think that parents and their kids are having that
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conversation at home about it. i heard stories about a kid, a boy and a girl saying that's a girl singing. you can do anything you want to do and gender doesn't matter. your passion is what matters and that's cool. >> it is cool. the nba's biggest event brings out the biggest stars. you have diddy, the king and queen, spike lee on hand. that's d-wade and lebron james. look how his head just misses that rim. more of the same. this time carmelo anthony to lebron. he scored 20 points. dished out 15 assists. the west would beat the east in a very close game. as he said, no defense. it could be the end of an era in chicago. reports from the windy city are
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saying the cubs and long time tv partner wgn could be parting ways in 2014. the television rights are over at the 2014 baseball season. and the team is being tight lipped. they've been with wgn since 1948. the tuition shootout is a friday night staple. the concept, make the half court shot and win free semester of school. last week participants were given the option of giving anyone in the building. one fan picked the men's head basketball coach, and as you see, nothing but net. love it! for all entertainment sports news go to bleacherreport.com. is it the coaches now? >> it doesn't matter. it was so happy. it was so cool. we're back in a minute. i know what you're thinking...
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transit fares! as in the 37 billion transit fares we help collect each year. no? oh, right. you're thinking of the 1.6 million daily customer care interactions xerox handles. or the 900 million health insurance claims we process. so, it's no surprise to you that companies depend on today's xerox for services that simplify how work gets done. which is...pretty much what we've always stood for. with xerox, you're ready for real business. the people of bp made a whcommitment to the gulf.,r.
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so i used my citi thankyou card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. ♪ things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. talk back question this morning. should we have the right to see the president play golf with tiger woods? this from jeremy. mr. obama is an employee of the united states. he was on his own personal time. he surely has a right to his prifsy when he's not working. this is from dorothy. the president deserves privacy when not on the job. however, i think he's on the job 24/7 no matter what he is or
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what he's doing. this from gabriel. why should we care? the president is entitled to his privacy, believe it or not. some people in the media have a severe problem comprehending. and this from gail. it's disrespectful for obama to be seen with a man who is a philanderer. you judge a person by the company they keep. the next hour of cnn newsroom starts now. happening now in the newsroom. new information about the shooting death of blade runner's girlfriend. officials say reeva steenkamp was shot four times and then carried downstairs. oscar pistorius' family now coming to his defense. >> as you can imagine, our entire family is devastated. we are? a state of total shock. >> president obama golfs and congress takes a vacation, even though millions of government jobs remain in the balance.
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some of the spending cuts that will impact you if sequestration happens. and it's tax time for millions of americans. but facebook won't pay a dime. the government is giving facebook a $400 million refund. news room starts now. good morning. thank you so much for being with me. i'm carol costello. we begin with the new developments surrounding the death of oscar pistorius' girlfriend. detectives are studying a bloodstained cricket bath found at pistorius' home. they were trying to establish if the bat was used to attack reeva steenkamp or if she used it to defend herself. pistorius' family members are coming forward defending the track star against a murder charge. >> as you can imagine, our entire family is devastated. we are in a state of total
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shock. oscar was happy in his private life. >> investigators who rb combing through his house in this high security complex are starting to piece together what they think happened early on valentine's day. cnn is being told and local media is reporting that police believe pistorius'shot steenkamp four times through a closed bathroom door and then carried her downstairs where she died. neighbors have told police that they heard shouting before the shooting. that there's still no solid explanation as to why he might have shot her. pistorius appears in court again on tuesday for a bail hearing. he hasn't entered a plea yet. while pistorius is in court, reeva's family says there will be a funeral for her on saturday. producers released the full-time message from her, meant to be
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the cast, but which now becomes her last words, her last good-bye. >> i take one with me so many amazing memories and things that are in here and in here that i will treasure forever. i'm going to miss you all so much. i love you very, very much. >> you know, carol, there's been so much misinformation, rumors, speculation, guess work about what happened in oscar pistorius' house that val valentine's day. we know according to one official that reeva steenkamp was there to spend the night with her boyfriend, her overnight bag and ipad were found in his bedroom. we also know according to this official that she was shot four times through a closed bathroom door. additionally, oscar afterwards picked her up, carried her downstairs, while she was still alive. now more details will probably emerge in court. oscar faces a magistrate and a bail hearing on tuesday.
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while that is going on reeva will be buried. >> robyn kurnow reporting. country music stars and fans are mourning mindy mccready. she's dead at 37. ♪ guys do it all the time and you expect us to understand ♪ >> six of her albums were on the billboard country charts. she was known for her personal struggles. she battled addiction and mental illness. her body found on the front porch of her arkansas home. she shot herself to death. she leaves behind a 6-year-old and a 10-month-old. the baby's father was found dead last mon of an apparent suicide. chances are high automatic federal spending cuts will begin march 1st. until congress acts soon some federal workers face an uncertain future but nothing will be done about it today. president obama is in florida
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after spending the weekend golfing with tiger woods while congress is on vacation for president's day. most of the 2 million federal workers are facing furloughs and federal cuts. she opposes a cut in pay because it undermines the dignity of the job. >> it's a hard question to ask me. most of my colleagues are the breadwinners in their families. a pay cut to me doesn't mean as much. i don't think we should do it. we should respect the work we do. >> the national park service is just one agency facing budget cuts. emily schmidt takes a look at what that means for you vacation. >> if richard wood has seen one national park, he's seen them all. >> how many have you been to? >> over 200. 250 approximately. >> there are about 150 to go. >> the national park service, you know, there's nothing like it in the world.
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>> the national park service covers more than 84 million acres in every state but delaware and soon may do so with less because of mandatory budget cuts known as sequestration slated to begin on march 1st. joran works for a nonprofit group that supports the national parks, and he's worried about the looming changes. >> 5% is a lot for the pork service. >> the national park service is preparing to cut $110 million out of the $202 million budget. fewer park hours, fewer employees and possible closed camping and hiking areas. >> this would be so damaging to parks. over the course of a year federal spending would save 15 minutes. >> yellowstone national park could lose $1.75 million. the national mall, 1.6 million. the statue of liberty, $779,000. one budget expert says the cuts are not too extreme.
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>> i think almost any organization can sustain a 5% cut in their budget and not have it interfere with their basic mission. >> isabelle says taxpayers may not mind getting a bit less in service to help control government spending. richard wood agrees in theory, just not here. >> i'm a big national park service fan. so i want them to cut programs that don't matter to this me personally. no. unfortunately all of us feel that way. >> he's got a point. emily is live in washington now. we guilt a little get of an indication. it says the cuts would make it more difficult to get the seasonal employees for the upcoming summer season. it also says the division of department lands supported 403,000 jobs nationwide. they estimated that contributed more than $48 billion to local economy ls.
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clearly the suggestion here is the ripple effects sequestration could really set in motion. >> you're not kidding. it is tax time for millions of us. but facebook made billions of dollars but it will not be paying 1 dime in taxes to uncle sam. and facebook is not the only company with that joy at tax time. for over 75 years people ...with geico... ohhh...sorry!. director's voice: here we go. from the top. and action for over 75 years people have saved money with gecko so....
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three hot topics including jesus wielding an oozie and a bloody sword. >> he's risen from the dead. >> miss me? >> get him! >> and he's preaching anything but forgiveness. >> jesus h. christ! >> the "h" is silent. >> talk back. did "saturday night live" cross the line with jesus uncrossed. please join the conversation now. facebook.com/carolcnn. (announcer) scottrade knows our clients trade
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you can learn a lot, thanks to facebook. including how to legally avoid paying taxes. facebook is not the only company to save money this way. alison kosik joins us to tell us if it's possible for us not to pay federal taxes. >> i don't know about that. if you're thinking about this as facebook's gotcha moment, it isn't. this is all legal. they're taking a $1 billion tax deduction for excess benefits for stock options. you're thinking, what the heck is that? in the early days facebook wound up paying many employees with stock options. these are promises to buy shares at a set price. let's say $1 to make it easy. when facebook went public last year, it went public so employees could exercise the options. which means they could buy a share for $1.
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the difference between the price paid and market value is tax deductible for facebook. the center for tax justice found 185 companies in the fortune 500 took similar deductions in 2010. apple, 742 million. hp, $294 million. now the center for tax justice says a total of $7.5 billion could still be eligible for facebook to deduct in taxes over the next several years. it just keeps on giving. >> it's just unbelievable. alison kosik, thanks so much. it's been almost four months since superstorm sandy hit. and property owners are still fighting every day with their insurance companies. >> i have to run to the bank two fridays ago and beg them to give me a loan so i can pay the contractor. i have low testosterone. there, i said it.
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left eye. that's according to a german journalist who interviewed the pope several times most recently in december. the journalist tells the newspaper the pope eas hearing has also faded. the pope cited his poor health in his decision to leave on february 28th. back home, maker's mark is saying i'm full. the kentucky bourbon maker will no longer water down the whiskey to stretch supplies. theerer ve sal comes a week after the company announced it was diluting the famous spirit to deal with a spike in demand. the customers waged an online revolt. starting today, every wed wax bottle is back to 90 proof. an air force one bomber jacket worn by jfk was a top seller at an auction of kennedy family memorabilia. it fetched $629,000. other items included a birthday card from john john to his dad and a marked up itinerary for the president's 1963 trip to dallas.
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relatives found the items at a home of a special assistant. in florida. officials say 68 burmese pythons were killed during a month long contest designed to thin the populations. prizes went to the guy which brought home the longest python. 14 feet and 3 inches. and also to the hunter who bagged the most snakes. that would be 18. wildlife officials held the contest to help them get rid of pythons, one of the area's most invasive species.
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>> begging for money is not something katherine hall ever thought she would have to do. >> i had to run to the bank two fridays ago and beg them to give me a loan to pay my contractor. once he's finished doing this segment of the work we have to stop because we don't have anymore money. >> nearly four months since superstorm sandy destroyed her home in new york, paula has been calling her mortgage banker almost every day. she's begging him to release insurance money so she and her family can rebuild and go home. >> we have a 4-year-old boy who basically we spent his college fupd. the money we put back since his birth towards being able to send him to college later in life is what we have spent. it's gone. >> hall, who was originally from britain, and her husband bob and 4-year-old son nathan have been living in a hotel since november. the halls are among more than 6,000 families still waiting for
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insurance money. new york's governor blamed a necessary red tape and accused banks of failing to release more than $200 million worth of insurance. some lenders require proof the repair has been made before they're reimbursed for the cost. >> there's a lot of older people here that don't have any money. they're being told do 30% of the work and they'll get 30% of the work. get 50% of the work. you'll get 50% of the money. >> the reason they do that is you're scared you're going to get the check and leave them with a property that's not sellable. you know, but we've invested a lot of money in this house. and it's our home. >> banks contacted by cnn say they've distributed more than 75% of all insurance money. the hall's mortgage lender who
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they ask we not name did not respond. >> we came here to live the american dream and now we're living the american nightmare because they're holding our money, and we can't get it. it's not fair. it's not fair on anyone. and everybody is in the same position. everybody. like i said to you, i don't know a single person who has a dime. >> and the waiting and uncertainty is taking a toll. as devastating as the storm itself. >> and i'm joined by cnn national correspondent deborah feyerick. are banks worried the homeowners will take the money and run? what is it? >> yeah. that's the bottom line. one of the things is that when the insurance companies are actually paying out the money -- that's not really the problem. but they pay the check to the homeowner and the mortgage lender. both names are on the check. so the bank will hold onto the money. and they have an interest in the asset, which is the home. they're the ones who have loaned
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the money. they want to make sure the repairs are done. it assumes they have money they can spend to make repairs in the first place. governor cuomo is telling the banks do what you have to do, get the money to the people, and they don't want to leave their home. that's the bottom line. they don't want to leave their homes. >> deb feyerick reporting live from new york city. up next, 30 minutes of talk back. three hot topics. hot conversation and your comments. should we have the right to see the president play golf with tiger woods? facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me at carolcnn. [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix.
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welcome to our new half hour talk show. three hot topics, great guests on tap today. president obama's tea time with tiger. the fight over climate change, and saturday night live
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is pushing the envelope are jesus uncrossed. sirius xm radio host is with us and professor jason johnson. republican strategist ann anna navaro and former special assistant to george w. bush ron christi. welcome to all of you. should we have the right to see the president play golf with tiger woods? the drudge report labeled it the super secret spring break. secret because we couldn't take photos of president obama playing golf with tiger woods. yes, that tiger woods. champion golfer and former adulterer. photographers were not around the president all week long. this as massive budget cuts kick in in two weeks. the president out of sight? not taking budget cuts? ed henry says reporters are frustrated. quote. there's very simple but important principal we will
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continue to fight for today and in the days ahead. and that would be transparency. what's the big deal? we had no problem getting photos of president obama playing golf with ever popular bill clinton or john boehner back when they were talking a bar gone to avoid the fiscal cliff. is there a problem seeing america's number one family man alongside tiger? is that it. or is the president entitled to much deserved down time with friends? so talkback today. should we have the right to see the president play golf with tiger woods? i'll start with you, ron? >> good morning. i think he should in all fairness release some photographs of him either teeing off with tiger or perhaps when they finished. he has the right to have his own down time. but the american people deserve to see what the president of the united states will be doing. if he's going to be out playing golf, we deserve to see what he's up to? >> i don't see the big deal in
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not allowing a photo to be taken frankly. what's the big deal? >> maybe he's a lousy golfer. the larger issue is how people feel about obama going on vacation. he really hasn't gone on vacation nearly as much as jovrj bush or ronald reagan. i don't care. maybe he's a lousy golfer. maybe tiger woods is asking for marriage advice. i don't knowful i i don't know. i'm more concerned with what he does. not what his golf score is. >> this is supposed to be the most transparent administration in the history of the world. yet, no photo with a golfer? >> it's the most thanks parent administration, but he doesn't have to go up for election anymore. when he was playing with bill clinton or john boehner, it's political. it's his prerogative who he plays golf with. it's his prerogative whether he allows shots or not. also the white house press corp. has a right to press.
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what i would like to see a picture of is the permission slip that michelle obama signed to let president obama go play and go spend a guys' weekend with tiger woods. that's what i'm more interested in. >> >> exactly. she thook the girls skiing. president obama is on his own. >> yeah. >> go ahead. >> i was just thinking what anna just said. just thinking that. i would have loved to hear the conversation between the first lady, michelle obama, and the president. i'm sorry -- you're going golfing with who? but come on! he's the greatest golfer ever. he also had sex with any woman he met, barack. so that must have been interesting. the white house clearly doesn't want a photo, which we know would be worth 1,000 words. as you said, the best family man and the worth family man. and we should have ak setsds. and ed henry and the white house correspondents are right.
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i'm more concerned with the other golfer. there was three with him. one of his top donors. you know. just equals access. the big problem we have in the country with politics is campaign finance. if you donate enough, you're going to this get to go golfing with the president. >> go ahead. go ahead. >> just as long as they do go and place an order at perkins restaurant, i'm okay with the weekend. >> i think more the issue for me, ron, is sequestration is looming. what? march 1st is right around the corner. there's the fly in here. march 1st is right around the corner and the president is playing golf. >> he was getting advice from tiger. >> how to avoid sequestration. >> you're underlying point is right. the se questions trace was put into place. the republicans thought the republicans wuld never swallow the poison pill.
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we're talking $1.2 trillion over ten years and $85 billion reduction that is looming in two weeks. the republicans voted for it. the point of the matter is they -- i didn't cut you off, sir. we expect our president of the united states to be working. we expect him to be trying to find a solution to end this problem and not off playing golf with tiger woods. >> and what about congress, jason? >> yeah, look. come on. the president can pat his head and rub his tumny. does anybody think he's not work sng he may not be discussing policy with tiger woods ux but even when george bush was off at crawford texas, yeah, he was moving brush around but he was also doing policy. i don't think it's an issue of whether or not he's working. it's a weekend with tiger woods. what's is worst that can happen?
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should we have the right to see the president? >> why? if the president chooses not to be seen, that's his right. back off. tiger is known to be media-averse. maybe the districtive of no photos was his condition to play. he has the right not to be transparent. keep the conversation going. facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me@carolcnn. is now the time for climate change legislation? [ loud party sounds ] hi, i'm ensure clear... clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got nine grams of protein. that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients.
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>> onto our section talk back question. is now the time for climate change legislation? in washington climate change activists billed it ads the largest climate change rally in history. they were also chanting hey, obama, we don't want no climate drama.
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actually they do right now. why not? the president fueled the fire. >> we can choose to believe super storm sandy and the worst drought and wildfires were all a freak coincidence. or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science and act before it's too late. >> the climate change activist held note of climate change skeptics. >> the government can't change the weather. we can pass a bunch of laws that will destroy our economy, but it isn't going to change the weather. >> all those climate change activists in d.c. want the president to talk the keystone pipeline. it will most likely add to our collusion problem, which in part causes global warming. that pipeline will create jobs and further energy independence and yeah, gas prices are now
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$3.73 a gallon. is now the time for climate change legislation? >> yes. obama can do a lot about climate change. he needs to start simple. he needs to take a bold idea that he and john mccain were pitching around in 2008, which is a promise to change all the delete of cars. the reason we can't get substantive climate change is because we can't convince the car industry that it makes sense financially. obama can do a lot. he should do something that provides jobs and cleans the air, not just talk policy. >> that sounds so simple, anna. >> it sounds simple, but it's not. good luck trying to pass any legislation through congress that doesn't come from congress. right now some of the controversial issues that stand a glimmer of hope are immigration and some aspects of gun control. in congress themselves they have found common ground and are pushing it themselves. unfortunately the reality is
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that president obama right now has the reverse midas touch. everything he touches turns to dirt. >> everything turns to dirt, pete? >> well, listen. i would first ask for everybody to put up their hands on this panel if they believe is man is the biggest factk factor contributing to climate change. no, we're not all putting our hands up? >> that is what is sad about this. republicans and only republicans don't believe in science. climate change is the biggest threat outside the nuclear holocaust. they don't believe that science is embarrassing and it's horrific. it is now the time to address climate change. no! it was 20 years ago carol.
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we have to do something about this. we have to do it now. it's the biggest issue for me personally. i just bought a chevy volt. i'm trying to be the change i want to see in life. this is something we have to pass down to our kids. the next generation needs to make a shift on. the fact that republicans in congress don't believe in science, it's embarrassing. >> and ron -- i mean, pete does have a point. 98% of climate believe climate change is manmade. so why can't anyone find common ground? >> there's certainly no doubt? i dispute the 98% factor that believe that global climate change is real. this president rather than passing global climate change should try to change the economy in the country. we've never had unemployment under 7%. why are we going to pass more crippling regulations to hurt
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small business? my beloved home state of california. the home of the hope and change and global climate change and whatnot, those green regulations have killed in california. >> this is the false dichotomy that we're talking about here. if you look at what pete and ron says, both of the problems can be solved. if the president said look, let's start changing these cars over. let's make the federal fleet at a chevy volt. you're putting people to work and fixing the economy. both sides are pretending they cannot find a mutual solution. the solution is out there for years and no one is taking it. >> we did it back in the '70s with acid rain. there was a terrible problem and the government sort of worked with industry and they fixed that problem. why can't we fix our problems today. >> because nobody is talking to each other, carol. let's begin with that. the president doesn't talk to congress. congress doesn't talk to the president. nobody is talking to industry.
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we are in a very dysfunctional place right now in washington, d.c. it requires a lot of cooperation. i see pete shaking his head. but i would ask my friend pete, well, listen, there was a time when president obama first got elected when he had a majority in the house, when he had a majority in the senate, and when he did have the midas touch and could walk on water. >> that's because we have rule. we have an arcane rule that prevents smig being passed without 60 senators. and it is not true -- it is not true. everyone on the panel knows that it is not true. >> okay, no shouting, no shouting. it's a little early in the morning, pete. >> anna, you know i love you. >> deep breath. >> you also know -- >> oxygen to the lungs. >> i am getting very little of that because it's so polluted. but as you know, this has nothing to do with whether or not congress gets along.
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it has everything to do with the oil industry owning congress, including democrats. >> you laid the blame on nobody but republicans. >> i raise a blame on republicans because republicans don't agree on the problem. they don't agree on the problem. all democrats believe in the science that the vast majority -- almost every single climate scientist -- download an app called skeptical science, everybody. download the app for your phone right now. skeptical sign. >> i will say, jason, that the activist. the climate change activists in d.c. concentrated on the keystone pipeline. why concentrate on that? couldn't they pick something else? >> because it's a cute visual and it makes sense and you can have people dressed up as bald eagles covered in oil. this is a real problem. and this is a problem that has a real solution. and it's up to the republicans to finally stop just standing in the way of barack obama. and it's up to democrats to
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actually fight for the issue. i don't want to live in a world where we have to have el nino and hurricane katrina and everything 10 or 15 months because we can't fix a problem that scientists believe on. solutions are there. >> what are our facebook friends saying about the queson? is now the time for climate change legislation? now is the time to talk about it, for sure. how can you argue with the logic? we should ere on the side of the the planet. it's the only one that we have. making bank robbery illegal didn't help much. more laws are certainly not the answer, because it means more government bureaucracy. keep the conversation going or tweet me @carolcnn. did quality saturday night live" cross the line with jesus uncrossed? ger off so no one would interrupt us? oh no, i... just used my geico app to get a tow truck. it's gonna be 30 minutes. oh, so that means that we won't be stuck
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up here, for hours, with nothing to do. oh i get it, you wanna pass the time, huh. (holds up phone) fruit ninja!!! emergency roadside assistance. just a click away with the geico mobile app.
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final talkback for this monday. the question for you. did "saturday night live" cross the line with "djesus uncrossed"? i know. it's saturday night live. the skit called the ultimate historical revenge fantasy bugged me. christians around the world are celebrating christ sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. do we really need to see jesus wielding a bloody sword? >> guess who's back. jesus uncrossed. he's risen from the dead.
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and he's preaching anything but forgiveness. >> jesus h. christ! >> the "h" is silent. >> it gets really bloody from there. i know. i get it. jesus was played by the guy in django unchained. and i should be lol'ing, but i'm not. it's okay to joke about jesus, even during one of the holiest seasons on the christian calendar. maybe it's not okay for jesus, who was all about forgiveness to portray jesus o as a psycho path hell bent on revenge. did saturday night live cross the line with jesus uncrossed? pete, i'm going to start with you. you understand these things better than i do. >> i'm a standup comedian. i don't believe in crossing the line. i believe in pushing it as far as you can. this is a sendoff of quentin tarantino's movie of "inglorious
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bastards." i thought it was hilarious. i thought it was well written. i thought it was risky. i think christians should be able to laugh at themselves and their savior. they would really impress me if they did that with islam. y they won't. the only problem is jesus was played by an awesome actor because he's a white guy. and jesus looked a lot more like jason jones, who are on this panel. >> and when i was watching this, i laughed at first. when they said the "h" was silent, i thought that was funny. then they had him gunning down the romans out of revenge. and then it started to bother me. >> i'm not going to go to hell. i'm not going to say i found it funny. i'm not going to laugh at it. i'm not going to watch it.
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"saturday night live" chooses what they put on. and we choose what we watch. that's what being in a free society where we respect freedom of speech means. one thing that differentiates us, we don't go out and threaten a life when he says something that we don't like. that's how it works. sometimes they put things that you look. you always have a clicker. as your choice and your vote. >> but that's such an easy excuse to me. freedom soft speech. we have the the right to this change the channel. we can also have a right to talk about that it's not right. >> i thought it was hilarious. i was impressed they managed to do a spoof without constantly using the "n" word seems he seems personally obsessed with it. i was like, it is comedy. the guy is much more likely to
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be arabic. at the end of the the day, i don't care. it's a segment on "saturday night live" which hasn't been relevant in 15 years. i'm not that moved by it. >> i just didn't like it. i think we're in one of the holiest times for christians. i cannot imagine. we would have been hearing boycotts and people all upset. there's somehow a mentality that you can insult or spoof jesus christ. i didn't think it was that funny. again, i agree you can change the channel. i certainly did. >> you bring up an interesting point. i think jesus is used be my factions for many different things. jesus means different things to different people, and he's used constantly. and maybe that's right or wrong. but it confuses people, doesn't it? in a way? >>. >> i don't see how you can be confused. it's a character. we live in a christian country. you culturally know who jesus
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is, whether or not you believe in him being the son of god. >> this is more of a parody of quentin tarantino's scripts and films and violence than it is anything. >> quentin tarantino's movies are parodies of history. zl exactly. he also play the pope in "saturday night live" in a hilarious sketch. this is the definition of comedy. absolutely people are going to be offended. people are always offended. i'm on stage doing the most harmless joke about any new p puppy. people are like, i don't appreciate that. you can use a clicker, as anna refers to it. a clicker. >> i didn't mind they were folk
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poking fun at jesus. at this particular time when we're so close to easter, when we're in the season -- >> let's be honest, no christians were up. it was late on saturday night. they were getting ready for church. >> look, carol, the only thing i would say is what i said a few moments ago. i can't imagine. the you had the prophet mohamud in the same skit, in the same sketch doing the same things, there would be an outrage. there would be a backlash. all sorts of people would be very upset, and in our society, it seems to me there's a certain level of political correctness. you can make fun of jesus and parody jesus. you can't do it to the prophet mohamud. >> i think the comedians would be in hiding today if they made fun of the prophet mohammed.
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>> i also doubt you have any muslim on staff or muslim comedy writers at snl who said there's a way we can write this comedy. part of why we can make fun of them is there's a sense of national owner ship. it's not a muslim country so making fun of muslim characters is a problem. >> that's a great point. >> that is a great point. maybe in the end that says them all. anna, if you can joke about jesus, you feel closer to him somehow. or am i reading this too deeply. that's the beauty about jesus. hi means different things to different people. he means all things to all people. when i go to donna brazile's house, jesus is black. when he comes to my house, jesus is hispanic. every now and then he's blue-eyed and white and blond. he means all things to all people. we do have the right to protest. you guys will remember back when
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that singer sinead o'connor tore out the picture of the pope. and they were very loud protests. we do have the right to protest. >> go ahead, wrap it up. >> jesus was very self d-- he understood comedy. see what i did there? >> i'm sending you to confession right now. >> no, no. >> he's going to hell after his segment. >> i have to wrap this up. >> i'm on twitter. >> pete dominic, anna navaro and ron christi. thanks for talking back. now your sponszs to the topic. did "saturday night live" cross the line? snl always crosses the line. that's what makes it snl. this from stan di. the skit was shameful. clearly snl has stooped to the lowest to write and perform a skit that attacks so many people of faith across the world. keep the conversation going.
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